Higher pressure ratio and life cycle requirements of machine systems, such as a turbocharger, for example, are placing higher and higher temperature demands upon those components that make up the various machine systems. Alloys that are conventionally suitable for higher temperature capability and higher fatigue strength, such as Ti alloys, for example, are more expensive and heavier than other materials more commonly used for such components, e.g., aluminum. In the case of a turbocharger, using some high-temperature alloys would result in a heavier component which would negatively affect its response rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,323,428 is entitled, “High Strain Rate Forming of Dispersion Strengthened Aluminum Alloys.” The '428 patent is directed to a dispersion strengthened aluminum base alloy that is shaped into metal parts by high strain rate forging compacts or extruded billets composed thereof. The dispersion strengthened alloy can have the formula AlbalFeaSibXc, wherein X is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Cr, Mo, W, Nb, and Ta, “a” ranges from 2.0 to 7.5 weight %, “b” ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 weight %, “c” ranges from 0.05 to 3.5 weight %, and the balance is aluminum plus incidental impurities. Alternatively, the dispersion strengthened alloy may be described by the formula AlbalFeaSibVdXc, wherein X is at least one element selected from Mn, Mo, W, Cr, Ta, Zr, Ce, Er, Sc, Nd, Yb, and Y, “a” ranges from 2.0 to 7.5 weight %, “b” ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 weight %, “d” ranges from 0.05 to 3.5 weight %, “c” ranges from 0.02 to 1.50 weight %, and the balance is aluminum plus incidental impurities. In both cases, the ratio [Fe+X]:Si in the dispersion strengthened alloys is within the range of from about 2:1 to about 5:1.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventors to aid the reader, and is not to be taken as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art. While the described principles can, in some aspects and embodiments, alleviate the problems inherent in other systems, it will be appreciated that the scope of the protected innovation is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability of any disclosed feature to solve any specific problem noted herein.